CLEMSON — The Clemson Tigers bounced back from their first loss of the season at Boise State with a dominant 79-51 win over the Radford Highlanders Thursday at Littlejohn Coliseum.
After taking a slim 7-4 lead with 16:53 left in the first half, the Tigers (4-1) jumped out with a five-minute, 11-2 run. Senior Ian Schieffelin led the charge, racking up seven of Clemson’s first 14 points.
The forward continued to be a force for the Tigers, finishing with 14 points and 9 rebounds on 5 of 8 shooting. “The Chef,” as dubbed by Clemson fans, was one rebound shy of his second double-double of the young season.
Junior Chauncey Wiggins led all scorers with a season-high 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting.
Despite an early lead thanks to Schieffelin and Wiggins, the Tigers gave up six turnovers in the first half. The Highlanders converted four of these turnovers into eight early points.
However, Clemson made up for its carelessness with the ball by sinking seven threes in the first half, including multiple from Wiggins and Chase Hunter.
In the second half, Dillon Hunter, a junior guard, knocked down three-pointers on two consecutive possessions. Hunter finished with a career-high 15 points.
Clemson head coach Brad Brownell was impressed with the energy Hunter brought to the win.
“Great for for Dillon Hunter,” Brownell said. “He’s been working really hard and missed a game with a little bit of a foot injury and probably wasn’t fully back for Boise but good to see him play extremely well. I thought he was a real spark for us.”
In the Boise State loss, Clemson shot only 36.8 percent from the field and finished 6 of 25 from beyond the arc. Against the Highlanders, Clemson finished 11 of 23 from long range, an improved 47.8 percent.
On the defensive end, the Tigers held Radford’s starters to only 14 points. The Highlanders did not account for any fast break points compared to Clemson’s 10.
Additionally, the Tigers held the Highlanders to 4 of 20 from behind the arc.
“The second thing on our scouting report was three-point defense was really important in this game and I thought we guarded the ball pretty well,” Brownell said. “I thought we fought through screens, I thought we switched on some things properly, and I just thought we had a good plan.”
It Was Over When
Clemson went on a 21-5 run in the second half to put the game out of question. The Tigers outscored the Highlanders 31-15 in the second half.
Injuries
Clemson’s Ace Buckner (OUT — upper body); Dallas Thomas (redshirt).
Up Next
The Tigers will travel to Daytona Beach, Fla., on Monday, Nov. 25, to take on the University of San Francisco in the Sunshine Slam Tournament. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.